Should Ravens Sign Cowboys Ex Tony Pollard?
The Baltimore Raven's running back situation is delicately poised as multiple free agents are set to test the market, leaving the franchise thin at the position if all find new homes.
Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins loom at the biggest dominos to fall and if neither return, then the Ravens could, in theory, dip into the free agency market.
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With the likes of Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and Saquon Barkley all available, the Ravens could have their pick of who they want. But what if the franchise decides to go with a cheaper option as all three mentioned would be at the top of most teams' wishlist?
Kevin Eck of Baltimoreravens.com has detailed that the Ravens could go after Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard as an alternative to the three stars mentioned above.
"The Ravens might not have the means to win a bidding war for Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry, but Pollard could deliver similar value at a significant discount," Eck writes. "PFF projects the Dallas Cowboys running back to get a three-year, $24 million offer in free agency, while Spotrac has his market value at $13.1 million on a two-year deal.
"The glut of capable backs available in free agency could drive Pollard's price down even further. … The Ravens could structure a two-year deal for the 26-year-old that counts for $4 million against the cap in 2024."
Pollard, in his first year as the lead back for Dallas, didn't have the season many envisioned when he took over from Ezekiel Elliott. While he did notch his second consecutive season of 1,000+ rushing yards along with six touchdowns, there wasn't the same fear factor he had in 2022.
Pollard would have 15 or more carries just eight times last season and only had one 100-yard rushing game and in the rest, didn't surpass 79 yards.
Now, in Baltimore's setup, it is easy to envision Pollard looking like a completely different player with Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill forming a nice trio behind Lamar Jackson.
While there might be better running backs, they will be far more expensive than Pollard and he does have the skins on the wall, so Baltimore knows what kind of player he can be.
In Todd Monken's system, Pollard could bring back his lightning-quick feet and blazing speed out of the backfield. He could also be an option in the passing game as well, which makes a move for him rather interesting.
Henry, Barkley, and Jacobs are the "big fish" in the free agency class, but in Pollard, the Ravens could be getting just a valuable back and at half the cost.
